Combined can feeder, drainer, and siruper



May21, 1929. l A1 R. THOMPSON' 1,714,114 '1 COMBINED CAN EEEDERQ DRAINER, AND SIRUPER Filed July 18, 1927 3 Sheets-SheetI l /ZMfL www May 21, 1929. A.- R. THOMPSON 1,714,114-

COMBINED CAN FEEDER, DRAINER, AND SIRUPER i n Filed July 18,`192 '7 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 dorneya,

May 2l, 1929. A, R THOMPSON 1,714,114

COMBINED GAN'FEEDER, DRAINER, AND SIRUPER Filed July 18, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 PatentedY May 21, 1929.

UNITED STATES .ALBERT R. THOMPSON, OF SAN JOSEpCALIFORNIA, ASSIGNQR TO ANDERSON-BARN- GROVEB MFG.V C0., F SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

COMBINED CAN FEEDER, DRAINER., AND SIRUPER.

i Application led JulyilBv, 1927. Serial No. 206,492.

My invention relates to the canning art.

In this art there is a stage which comprises supplying the cans with the relatively solid Washed product; draining from them the surplus moisture; and filling them with sirup. The machines employedv in `carrying out this period of operation are a can-feeder,

a can-drainer supplied by the feeder, and

which inverts and reverts the cans, and a siruper to which the dr'ainedcans are carried by the feeder. These devices are virtually more'or less separate machines, their assemblage in the line being usually due to a travelling belt cOnVeyer, which, traversing l5 the plane of rotation of the drainer, yields its cans successively to its rotating propeller, and successively receives them again and delivers them to the siruper.

As all these machines and devices in the line are in motion, and exercise their several functions upon a rapid-travelling continuous 'can-procession, it is of prime importance that their motions be accurately coordinated in point of4 time, in order to insure the continuity of the procession; also that the path of the cans shall be smooth, without danger of interruption or'interference of any kind,

thus avoiding jarring andv wear and tear;

and, finally, that the cans -be initially supplied ina crowd of relatively large numbers with the least labor, vand thereafter automatically reduced toa procession `file, and taken care of without the interference of any manual effort. y To secure thesevresults is the `object of my present invention, and to this end I have combined-in a unitaryorganized apparatus, the essential ,elements intimately related, of al feeder, drainer and' siruper. 40` For the feeder, in general', I may refer to the type shown in my Patent No. 1,512,652, dated October 21st,*1924. For the drainer, reference maybe had to lmy Patent No. 1,397,153, dated November 15th, 1921. The siruper may be seen inthe type of my Patent No. 1,355,015 dated October 5th, 1920. I refer to these patentsy merely tosupplement my p resent disclosure, if such be needed, and to enable me in the following description to confine the explanation herein to such novel features andchanges asare rendered neces- `sarybythe combination ofvthese' elements in reducing them to a unitary organization.

In the accompanying drawings, Iv illus-A trate my rcombined machine in its preferred the machine.

form, it being understood that changesmay' be made without. departing from the spirit of my invention as defined v.by the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 isa top plan of Fig. 2 is a side view of the drainer.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view, in plan, showing the vgeneral relation of the several components of the machine, and indicating by the arrows the course of the cans. 'Y

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the gear-train for driving the timing screw.

Fig.5 is a sectional detail of the second table, the star-disks, and their driving gears,

Fig.` 6 is a. top plan `of the hinged gate on the feeder. Y i

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the same.

The combined or'organized machine comprises, as shown in Fig. 1, the feeder A, the drainer B,`and the siruper C. These are herein illustrated in sufficient detail to satisfy the combination which constitutes my present invention, it beingv understood from the preliminary statement hereinabove of` the nature of the invention, that'said general elements vof the organized apparatus are more or less of standard and wellknown individual construction as is evidenced by my previous patents above mentioned. Consequently, such changes and departures from the prior art are those Whichare required by the combination, andthese are herein vfullyl illustrated and will be particularly described. -I mayl state that in order to avoid complication, it must be assumed Without yparticular illustration that the'com'- i bined machine frame.

Y With regard kto the feeder'A, 1 `is a horizontal table rotatable about its axis 2 and driven by an underlyingk gear 3V indicated in Fig. 1 by dotted lines. A supplyplatform 4 communicates with the table. From one side of said platform extends a fixed guard flange 5, bordering the table rim throughout an arc thereofof slightly .less than 180 degrees. Supported `by the axis 2 aboutV which the table 1 rotatesy is a'bracket 6 which extends radially above the table and terminates short ofthe table riin. To thev is carried by a suitable end ofthe brackety 6 is secured an varcuate Y can-selecting; arm 7 the-v outer face ofwhich isi concentric with: and spa'cedfror'n' the guard flange. 5, while the inner' face; is `eccentric to the outer facewthus forming a taperingV member, the free extremity of which is preferably provided with a small roller 8. The selecting arm 7 and the guard ange thus form between them a passageway, the width of which is such that the cans 9 entering said passageway are reduced to single file.

From the other side of the platform 4t extends a fixed guard flange 10 which for a. short distance follows the rim of the table 1 and then curves inwardly over said table and terminates under the bracket 6, in line with the inner face of the arm 7. The approach to the le-reducing passage-way is guarded by a gate 11 carried by an arm 12 extending from the table axis 2, said gate having a spring hinge connection 13 with said arm as shown in Figs. G and 7, and

Vadapted tovyield forwardly as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. j

In order to fully understand the feeder, it will be well, at this point, to describe its operation. The cans 9 are placed by the attendant upright upon the platform 1- and are slid therefrom to and upon the rotating table 1, in a crowd without any regard to order. The table 1 rotating in direction of the arrow carries the crowd of cans forward to the right; and said crowd, meeting with the forwardly yielding gate 11,' pass it, and in so doing certainofthe cans are pushed outwardly to the guard flange 5. As the front of the crowd meets the roller point of the selecting arm 7, it is divided, those cans on the outside beingrednced to single file and thus enter the passageway, formed by said arm and the flange 5, while the other cans as indicated by the dotted-lines, pass to the inside of said arm 7 and are carried around along said arm and along the guard flange 10 to join the'infeeding crowd, for another try to get into file. i j

With regard to the drainer B, suitable frame members 14 carry an annular vertically disposed housing 15 the inner surface of which forms a track for the cans to travel upon, said housing having an entrance on one side and an exit on the other side in its base. The travel of the cans is effected by a spider like propeller 16 within the housing, Fig. 2, the armsof which have members 17 with projecting pins 18 adapted to engage the cans between them and to carry them around within the housing and to drain them in the .usual manner by reason of their inversion, certain perforated cap members 19, operated by a cam 20 being provided to confine their solid contents.

The communication between the feeder and the drainer'is shown in Figs. 1 and 3. A segment of the surface of the table 1 underlies that portion of the drainer housing which includes the entrance thereto. passageway in which the file of cans ap- The proaches the drainer, has for its outer wall at its terminus a timing screw 21, the threads of which engage each can, and regulate its advance, the rotation of the screw being timed to the rotation of the drainer propeller 16, so that each can is fed accurately to the engaging members 17 of the propeller. An arm 22 shown in dot-ted lines in Fig. 1, opposes the screw and serves to hold the cans thereto. As seen in Fig. 3, the terminus of the passageway opens into the entrance in the base ofthe drainer housing in which there is fixed a directing cleat 23 set across the housing at an angle. Each can, in timely succession, due to the screw V21, 1s carried by the rotating table 1 up to said cleat 23 and is thereby swept from said table directly into the drainer housing. The exit for the cans from the drainer housing is, as seen in Fig. 3, on the opposite side of said cleat 23, and the cans are swept therethrough by the rotation of the propeller.

lith regard to the siruper (1,1 have herein shown a fragment., comprising its shell 211, and its can holders 25. The communication between the drainer and the siruper as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, is more clearly seen in FigzB. 26 is a stationary second table in close relation to the exit from the drainer housing, said table having a guard rim-Harige 27 joining the cleat 23.

The table is, at its other side in close relation to the can holders 25 of `the `siruper. 28 is a'pair of stardislrs, Fig. 5, mounted for rotation above the second table 26. A rotatable turret 29 lies adjacent to the table 26, and a presser finger 30. extends from thel table axis to and under the turret.

The cans issuing from the exit of the drainer pass directly to and upon the table 26, and are engaged by the star disks 28 and carried around upon the table to a partial entrance into the holders 25 of the siruper.

The rotation of said holders carries'the cans along the presser nger BOuntil they are engaged'by the turret 29 which registering timely with said holders Vtrucs them therein.

VPower is led into the machine through the siruper. This is notI herein shown, but it will be sufficient to state that the transmission proceeds to the train of gears indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 to rotate the pair of star-disks 28 and the feeder tablel. `Also by means of the bevel gears 31 in Fig. 5, thel power is led from the star-disks 28, through the shaft 32, Fig. 1 to the gear train 33, Fig. el, to rotate the timing screw 21. 34 in Fig. 1 indicates a can ejector for the siruper.

The complete operation of the combined machine is as follows z-The unsealed cans, previously supplied with their washed solid product, are brought in trays to the platform 4, and by the attendant are placed upright upon the. table 1 in a crowd, Without regard to order. The table rotating, carries the crowd forward past the gate ll to the file selecting arm 7 the point of which forms the outermost cans into a ile, the other cans being returned by said arm 7 and the flange b 10 to join the infeeding crowd. The lile of cans advancing meets with the guide 22 and the timing screw 21 and each can is swept off the table into the drainer'housing 15 in front of the inclined cleat 23. Here, on account of the positive timing due to the screw 2l each can finds its engaging members 17 of the propeller 16 and is accurately taken up. By the rotation of the propeller, the cans are inverted above and drained of surplus moisture,.and reverted below, so that when each arrives at the rear face of the inclined cleat 23 it is again uprightvand is swept out of Vthe housing to and upon the second tablel 26. Thus there is one undrained can entering in front of the cleat 23 and one drained can being discharged back of the cleat, so that the propeller is kept full. From the table 26, the cans are swept off by the stardisks 28 and are guided by the presser finger 30 and by the registering turret 29 into the can-holders 25 of the sirupers 24.y It will be noted that except for' inversion in the drainer, the cans are swept along smooth level surfaces, without jar and with negligible wear and tear to the apparatus.

I claim Y v 1. A combined feeder, drainer and siruper comprising a vertically disposed housing having in its base on one side an entrance and on the other side an exit; a series of can engaging members rotatable in a vertical plane within the housing adapted to invert and revert the cans; a horizontally rotatable table, partially underlying a portion of the housing which includes the entrance of the lat-ter; means associated with said table for automatically reducing a disorderly crowd of cansV thereon to an orderlyv file; means associated with the table for vdirecting the file of cans in timely succession into th( housing entrance; a table in close relation to a portion'of the housing which includes the exit of the latter; a siruper closely adjacent the last named table, having a rotating series of holders; and means for transferring the cans from said table Vin timely succes-- sion into the holders of the siruper. v

2. A combined can feeder, drainer and siruper` comprising a vertically disposed housing having in its base on one side an entrance and on the other side an exit; a series of can engaging members rotatable in a vertical plane within the housing adapted to invert and revert the cans; a horizontally rotatable table partially underlying a portion of the housing which includes theentrance of the latter; means associated with said table for directing the cans resting on Vits surface in timely successive relation into the housing entrance; a siruper; and a single rotating element adapted to transfer the cans directly from the ousing exit to the siruper whi e preserving their timely relation. l 7

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT R. THoMPsoN. 

